The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

So currently, I'm playing a "pure" mage and really enjoying it. I have no armor, but the Mage Armor perk in Alteration. I use enchanted staffs for extra damage and robes to boost Magicka regeneration and either Destruction or Restoration spell cost reduction. As you can tell, I'm putting most of my perks into Destruction, Restoration, and Alteration. The rest goes into Alchemy, Speech, and/or Lockpicking. Not a perfect build, but I like it.

In Oblivion, I liked spellsword. Oblivion was a little different though because you could have a sword and shield and still cast spells. In Skyrim, I like to create a "god character." Early on, I have more success with magic, but since magic is limited in damage unless you add a cheater mod, I later shift to a dual wielding one handed, kill all but reverent and legendary dragons in one power hit mode. Once I get to that point, I lvl all other skills to 100 and revert to my swords when I'm in trouble. I also carry three sets of enchanted swords with fire, ice and lightning enchantments and a set of heavy armor for melee battles and a set of armor for long-range magic battles. That char is ready for every situation. It's sort of a completionist approach.

First one and most successful I've made was a Nord with heavy armor and a sword-and-shield preference. I've also got a Nord with heavy armor and two-handed, a Dunmer archer with light armor and skill in conjuration (That bound bow really helps), and a pure-mage Breton with, again, light armor. So far, the sword+shield Nord was my favorite.

I tend to waffle between these 5 types - storywise, I prefer a pure mage (though sometimes with skill in One-handed as well) because the College of Winterhome is by far my favorite "guild". Playwise, I usually prefer subtle Sneaky types that also use Illusion magic and either archery, or daggers and spells. However, occasionally I just want a character who can get in someone's face and tear them a new one by either just blocking everything they can dish out and then returning the favor, or just smashing their skulls with the biggest warhammer I can find (plus, the Companions aren't all that bad - I'm sort of ho-hum on the whole werewolf thing, though). Thus the 5 styles of play.

Westlander - I agree. I wish I could play a monk-type character (a khajiit monk would be really cool), and actually be able to have it be a successful character who could actually advance in skill as a unarmed combatant (rather then a quick casualty!) I've read that in some of the earlier games, a monk was a selectable class (some of the earlier games had classes), and unarmed combat was an actual skill. None in Skyrim, though - Bummer! :(

Spastic Zebra - you can be a stealthy assassin and still be a good guy - it all depends on who you decide to kill - killing bandits, Foresworn, Thalmor, and other evildoers from the shadows makes you a good guy (of course, if you're an actual assassin who's member of the Dark Brotherhood and kills people for profit, you're playing a bad guy - which is just fine, since I've played a Dark Brotherhood member myself a couple times). :)